recourse
[ ree-kawrs, -kohrs, ri-kawrs, -kohrs ]
/ ˈri kɔrs, -koʊrs, rɪˈkɔrs, -ˈkoʊrs /
noun
access or resort to a person or thing for help or protection: to have recourse to the courts for justice.
a person or thing resorted to for help or protection.
the right to collect from a maker or endorser of a negotiable instrument. The endorser may add the words “without recourse” on the instrument, thereby transferring the instrument without assuming any liability.
Nearby words
recordist, recordkeeping, recount, recountal, recoup, recourse, recover, recoverable, recoverable error, recovered memory, recovery
Origin of recourse
1350–1400; Middle English recours < Old French < Late Latin recursus, Latin: return, retreat, noun use of past participle of recurrere to run back; see recur
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for recourse
British Dictionary definitions for recourse
recourse
/ (rɪˈkɔːs) /
noun
the act of resorting to a person, course of action, etc, in difficulty or danger (esp in the phrase have recourse to)
a person, organization, or course of action that is turned to for help, protection, etc
the right to demand payment, esp from the drawer or endorser of a bill of exchange or other negotiable instrument when the person accepting it fails to pay
without recourse a qualified endorsement on such a negotiable instrument, by which the endorser protects himself or herself from liability to subsequent holders
Word Origin for recourse
C14: from Old French recours, from Late Latin recursus a running back, from re- + currere to run
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for recourse
recourse
late 14c., from Old French recours (13c.), from Latin recursus "a return, a retreat," literally "a running back, a going back," from stem of past participle of recurrere "run back, return" (see recur).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper